Seal-press.



H. H. WENTHE.

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c HERMAN I-I. WENTHE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SEAL-PRESS.

oraine.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

Application filed January 5, 1910. Serial No. 536,536.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN H. WENTHE, citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Seal-Presses; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates and has special ref erence to seal presses,although the same may be employed in connection with other devices ofsimilar nature and form. It is particularly adapted to portable pressesfor embossing seals such as used by notaries public and other officerswhose duty it is to take acknowledgments, furnish certificates and thelike.

The object of the invention is to provide such presses with means tolock or retain them in a closed position and thereby to make them moreconvenient to carry in the pocket, and also to prevent dust, dirt orother undesirable matter to enter between the dies of the press and thusinjure the same or interfere with its use.

My invention for the above purposes consists in a seal press providedwith a latch arranged between the two members of the press, that is tosay, the handle or base and the lever of the press, said latch, underthe construction which I prefer, being pivoted to one member and adaptedto engage a detent arranged in the other member.

Another feature of my invention consists in arranging such latch so asnot to project beyond the said members either to the sides or above andbelow.

My invention also consists in such further features, details ofconstruction, and combination of parts as will be set forth below andthen particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings accompanying this specification Figure 1 represents asideelevation of a seal-press embodying my invention in its openposition; Fig. 2 a longitudinal vertical section thereof, closed; Fig. 3a vertical transverse section on line 33, Fig. 1; Figs. 4 and 5 detailviews in perspective of the handle and latch of the seal-press,respectively; Fig. 6 a similar View of a modification; and Fig. 7 a viewof a blank for the latch under my invention.

Referring to these drawings, A represents the usual G-shaped frame of awellknown type of notarial seal-press, said frame eX- tending rearwardlyto form a looped handle, a, and formed at its front with the enlargedbed or die plate, a, which carries the lower die a .The upper branch ofthe frame A is provided with a hollow bearing a within which is slidablyarranged the stem. of the upper die-plate B, upon which the upper sealdie is formed or mounted in the usual way, said stem being yieldinglyurged upward by spring pressure, as shown in my Letters Patent No.535932. On the upper branch of the frame at c is also fulcrumed the dielever C, in the form of a bell-crank lever having friction rollers 0,arranged to bear on a washer b on the die-plate B, when the arm 0 oflever C is depressed, thereby forcing the die plates a and B together toemboss the seal or to make the impression.

The frame A of the seal-press is formed with the strengtheninglongitudinal central rib or web, D, which, as shown, extends below andto the rear of the frame and terminates in the looped handle a abovereferred to. At its lower rear edge the said web, D, is so shaped as toform lateral flanges 0 cl, on each side of the web, which flanges extendrearward and gradually merge in the loop a of the looped handle a andforward so as to gradually merge in the said web. This flange issomewhat rounded ofi at the bottom as shown, and thus it forms aconvenient surface for the fingers not engaging the loop a when the handgrasps the press to depress the lever C toward the handle a.

In order to retain the seal-press in its closed condition or, in otherwords, the lever C in its depressed position with respect to handle a, Iprovide a latch consisting of a hook, E, pivoted at e to the web orvertical thinned portion a of the frame, the beak e of said hook beingadapted to engage a detent on the outwardly extending arm of lever C.The said detent, as shown in the drawings, consists of two lugs 0 0*,punched out of the material of said lever and bent downward, so as toform retaining shoulders for the beak c. This is best shown in Figs. 3and 4.

The form of the hook is best shown in Figs. 3 and 5. It is preferablystamped and embossed from soft sheet steel or brass. Its stem e isembossed or curved in crosssection to make it sufficiently rigid, whileits beak is left flat in cross section to give it the necessarypliability to engage the lugs 0*, 0*, and to be thrust home between thesame independently, to a certain extent, of the angle which the inner orunder concave surface of the handle may occupy with respect to the hookor latch E. In order to enter more readily into its seat between thelugs 0 c, and the inner surface of the handle, the beak e is pointed andtapered at its extremity, as shown. The latch E, as shown best in Figs.3 and 5, is forked or provided with two ears 6 e at its extremityopposite to the beak, the said ears being bent at right angles to thestem and parallel to each other. This forked portion straddles the Hatvertical lip (Z5 between the web D and the loop a which extends upwardabove the lateral flanges cZ, (Z. The hook is pivoted to the said lip orsupport by passing a pivot or pintle 6* through the cars a, e and thelips as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

As shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 3, the lip is somewhat recessedwith relation to the web I), the depth of the recess being preferablysuflicient to make the outer surfaces of the ears 6', a, substantiallyflush with the surface of the web (see Fig. 3). This arrangement servesto prevent the said ears catching in the clothing when the sealpress isintroduced into the pocket.

The hook or latch E, as shown, is made narrower laterally at everyportion than the lateral width of the flanges (Z, (Z, and of the concaveor dished handle a. For this reason and for the reason that its beakextends only as far as the inner under surface of the handle, when thepress is closed, and that the forked end 6 e of the hook is above thelateral flanges (Z, (Z, it is clear that when the seal-press is closedand latched as shown in Fig. 2, no portion of the same projects beyondthe sides of the seal-press. There is hence no liability of the catch orhook catching in or coming into contact with the clothes of the userwhen inserting it into the pocket, and no danger of involuntarilyopening or otherwise disturbing the latch. This construction, therefore,results in a secure latching device, one which is shielded on all sidesagainst contact with the clothing by the body of the press, and hence isnot liable to get out of order. By making the beak e tapered as shown itcan be very securely wedged into engagement with the lugs 0*, 0

The latch is bent into the shape as used from a blank, as shown in Fig.7, which may be stamped or punched and embossed from soft sheet metal,such as soft steel or brass, at one operation, as Will be readilyunderstood.

The operation of the seal-press latching device is clear from theforegoing.

Instead of forming its detent for the latch in the shape of lugs 0*, 0,as above described, the same may be formed of a transverse wire or rod 0passing transversely through the side flanges of the concave handle a,as shown in Fig. 6, the ends of said wire being secured to the handle.There is thus formed a loop or recess which the beak e of the hookengages to lock the seal-press in its closed position.

What I claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent is 1. In aseal-press, a frame having a rearwardly extending vertical webterminating in a handle and formed with an intermediate vertical lip,and lateral flanges extending to both sides below the lip, incombination with a rearwardly extending die-depressing lever pivoted atthe forward portion of the frame, said lever being concave and providedwith a detent on its lower surface, and a latch straddling and pivotedat its lower end on the lip of the frame and having a beak for engagingthe said detent.

2. In a seal-press, a frame having a rearwardly extending vertical webterminating in a handle and formed with an intermediate vertical lip, incombination with a rearwardly extending die depressing lever pivoted atthe forward portion of the frame, said lever being concave and providedwith a detent on its lower surface, and a latch straddling and pivotedat its lower end on the lip of the frame and having a beak for engagingthe said detent.

3. In a seal-press a frame having a rearwardly extending vertical webterminating in a handle and formed with an intermediate vertical lip,and laterally extending flanges located below the intermediate verticallip, in combination with a rearwardly extending diedepressing leverpivoted at the forward portion of the frame, said lever being providedwith a detent on its lower surface, and at an intermediate portion ofthe said lever, and a latch pivoted at its lower portion on the verticallip and having a beak for engaging the said detent.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

HERMAN H. WENT HE.

lVitnesses:

L. E. SAUTER, I. A. GAYNon.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C.

